


Alive

by Burgie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Black Mage WOL, F/F, Miqo'te WoL, female WoL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25777837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Minfilia makes a bargain to protect the one that she holds most dear.
Relationships: Minfilia Warde/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 10





	Alive

**Author's Note:**

> I am actually Constantly thinking about how Minfilia prayed to Hydaelyn to save the WoL from Praetorium. Also my take on flying now being unlocked after Praetorium. Used some artistic liberties with the cutscene too.

She was still in there. That was all that Minfilia could focus on as she gazed across at the Praetorium, her heart in her throat, fingers twisted together in her anxiety. Behind her, she could hear Yda saying something, sounding strangely optimistic. At least the leaders of the Grand Companies shared Minfilia’s anxiety, though that, she knew, wasn’t much of a comfort. For if even they who had fought at Carteneau were worried, then…

“They’re still in there,” said Merlwyb, her stony gaze fixed on the facility that they’d all seen erupt in a very strong spell some moments ago. It felt like bells, though, with each moment that passed with still no sign of them. Beside the Maelstrom leader, Veronyka’s sister, Louisa, looked equally as worried, ears pinned back, eyes wide with concern. Yet she dare not voice her fears, only clutched her scholar’s tome tighter to her chest.

Stepping a little away from the group, Minfilia took a deep breath, looking to the Praetorium one last time before closing her eyes and gazing inward, hands clasped together in prayer.

“Oh, Hydaelyn,” Minfilia prayed, knowing that the Mother would hear her. “Pray keep them safe. Return her to me. Please.” In the waking world, tears slid down her cheeks, yet here, in the aetherial sea, Minfilia opened her eyes to find herself floating in the abyss, gazing at the Mothercrystal before her. Even here, tears stung her eyes at beholding such beauty.

“I hear your prayers, my child,” the voice of the Mothercrystal spoke, seeming to come from within and without all at once. “And I shall speed them to you. Yet, you know the price.”

“I do,” said Minfilia. She had known it for a very long time, in fact. Known it since the Mother had first spoken to her. “I know that this act will take me from her, in the end. Yet all I ask is to have her in my arms again.”

“You knew the perils of your station,” said the Mother, and Minfilia lowered her gaze.

“I did,” said Minfilia. “And I do, just as I knew the perils of falling in love with one of your champions. Yet I cannot regret it.” How could she regret such joy, such happiness, how could she regret any moment of the past few moons?

“I have protected them thus far,” said Hydaelyn. “Yet my powers grow weak.” A part of Minfilia, the part that had once railed against her father’s death, wanted to challenge this statement, to call the Mothercrystal weak for running out of power. Yet she knew that the blast of power that had radiated from the Ultima weapon should have vaporised those who stood against it, just as easily as it had vaporised much of the Praetorium.

“Please,” said Minfilia. She almost choked on her tears, her emotion. “I pledge myself to you, Hydaelyn, body and soul, I give you my power. Please, please help them.”

“Thy will be done,” said Hydaelyn. There was a pulse of light, and Minfilia found herself standing once more on the edge of the cliff, looking over the water at the Praetorium. At the spark from within, as several points of light winked figures into existence.

“Here they come!” Raubahn called, stepping forward, and Minfilia brushed away tears that glittered in the sunlight as several magitek reapers, steered by none other than Solar, crossed the water, landing on the cliffside. There was Jack, half of his face covered in blood from a wound to his eye, climbing down from the reaper to pull Cid into his embrace, and Zelda, climbing down and calling for help to get Thancred down. But Minfilia had eyes only for Veronyka, in a way that she’d once tried to hide.

She was alive. Covered in ash, her face wan beneath the dust from the power that she’d exerted, parts of her outfit and fur singed from who knew what, but… alive. As Veronyka climbed out of the reaper, she stumbled slightly, Minfilia surging forward to hold her by the wrists.

“You’re alive,” said Minfilia, eyes still glowing with unshed tears as she pulled Veronyka into her arms. “Praise Hydaelyn…”

“We all are,” said Veronyka, returning Minfilia’s embrace, uncaring for once that her ash-covered black mage gear had smudged soot over Minfilia’s garments. She had considered wearing the red coat that Minfilia had lovingly given her, but hadn’t wanted it to be ruined. A good thing, too, she supposed, for the leather that the black mage attire was stitched with had protected her skin from the blasts of fire that she’d narrowly avoided. “Hydaelyn helped, too, we all heard Her when we were fighting the Ultima weapon both times and then against Lahabrea. She made everything glow this really bright white and that made us stronger. Which was great, because our attacks barely scratched the weapon at first.”

“Glad am I to hear it,” said Minfilia. “Truly. I was so worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” said Veronyka, giving her a smile. But it fell when she glanced over at Jack, who was having his eye properly looked after by Urianger, who seemed far more concerned than a regular healer would. “Jack got hurt really bad, though…”

“Would you like to talk about it?” Minfilia asked. “I regret that it would be unwise for us to celebrate at a tavern, if only for the lack of privacy, though I imagine that you would like nothing but to rest right now.”

“I do,” said Veronyka, sagging against her. “I’m so tired, I feel like I could sleep for a week. But I also feel like I’m… buzzing. Does that make sense?”

“That would be the adrenaline, my love,” said Minfilia, giving her a smile. “Come, let us at least find somewhere to sit.”

“I’m surprised you’re not being swarmed, considering you’re the leader of the Scions,” said Veronyka. Minfilia shrugged.

“Tis a mystery,” said Minfilia. “And a blessing.”

“And Tataru,” Yda added, suddenly appearing beside them. Veronyka grinned at her, breaking from Minfilia’s side for just a moment to hug her friend. “It’s good to see you still with us, Nyka.” Yda grinned at her as Veronyka returned to Minfilia’s side, the Antecedent winding an arm around her waist.

“It’s good to still be with you guys,” said Veronyka.

“For the record, I knew you could do it,” said Yda.

“I trust that the arts you learned from the black taught you well,” said Papalymo. Yda poked her tongue out at him.

“Are you still sour that I broke from the fold?” Veronyka asked. “But yes, they did help a little. I needed the more powerful fire spells to make it through. But my thaumaturge training was what taught me how to stand back from my enemies and keep the thunder spells hurting them. And, of course, manaward stopped me from getting hurt.”

“Good,” said Papalymo. “I will leave the two of you to it, then. Come along, Yda.”

“Will you tell me all about it later?” Yda asked before she left.

“Of course,” said Veronyka. “I almost wish you’d been there, though.”

“I would’ve punched so many stupid Garleans in the face. Present company excluded, of course,” said Yda with a glance at Cid.

“That would’ve helped a lot, they monologued for so long,” said Veronyka. “And I thought Alphie was bad.”

“Ha! I’ll tell him that,” said Yda. “I’ll see you later, Nyka.”

“I’m almost beginning to wonder if it would not be better to teleport to your apartment to talk,” said Minfilia. “We’d at least have some privacy there.”

“Oh, no, that wouldn’t be good, I haven’t… cleaned there in ages,” said Veronyka, her cheeks finally showing some colour. She ran a hand through her hair, dusting the ground in a layer of soot.

“I am sure that it would be no worse than Thancred’s bedroom,” said Minfilia with a smile. “Regardless, let us at least find somewhere to sit.”

The way that Veronyka half-collapsed onto the log bench that Minfilia found for them was worrying enough, even without the way that her body sagged in on itself.

“Are you alright?” Minfilia asked, an arm around Veronyka to hold her upright. Veronyka rested her head on Minfilia’s shoulder and nodded, looking up at her.

“It’s probably just the adrenaline, like you said,” said Veronyka. “I hope I can remember everything important.”

“Just tell me what you do remember,” said Minfilia. “Where did all of this soot come from, for example? I haven’t seen you looking so ragged since you came back from fighting Ifrit the first time. Though at least your clothing isn’t burned this time.”

“You can thank my black mage friends for that,” said Veronyka. “I hate wearing all this leather but it at least kept my skin from getting burned. And my fur, somehow.”

“And your hair,” Minfilia noted, trailing a finger through a lock of it. Veronyka nodded.

“You remember that the primals were sucked into the Ultima Weapon, right?” Veronyka asked. Minfilia nodded, humming her affirmation. “Well, this ash came from what was left of Ifrit. And the ceruleam vents, but mostly Ifrit. He gave the Ultima Weapon fire puddles, again, and then we had to jump back into the burning air to avoid Titan’s attacks.”

“No landslides?” Minfilia asked, eyes wide in concern, recalling how Veronyka had fallen from the platform and only been saved by the grace of Hydaelyn. Or so her friends had said, anyway.

“No, not this time,” said Veronyka, shaking her head. “There wasn’t really a platform to knock us off of. But there were also Ifrit’s eruptions, which were extra annoying because they had no pattern again. I didn’t get singed by them this time, though.” Veronyka grinned, clearly quite proud of herself. Minfilia stroked a hand over the top of her head.

“And Garuda?” Minfilia prompted.

“She just made a cyclone around the edges,” said Veronyka. “Easy to step out of.”

“Were you injured at all?” Minfilia asked. Veronyka yawned, shaking her head.

“Easy to avoid injury when you have to keep out of the way of enemies anyway to cast,” said Veronyka. “Just the usual big attacks that hurt everyone. Oh, and Nero kept smacking us with his hammer or those claw things he controls and pushing us back into a field of electricity, which was really annoying. And there were some blasts to ignore, and Gaius put down this acidic puddle that didn’t hurt him for some reason.”

“Was anyone else in your team injured?” Minfilia asked.

“None severely,” said Veronyka. “Oh! And I got to bring down a Starshower on Nero, that was really fun.” Minfilia laughed.

“I’m beginning to see now why you were so exhausted coming out of it,” said Minfilia. “Using that much magic can exhaust anyone.”

“Yayake says that someday, I’ll be able to use my abilities to summon a meteor,” said Veronyka. “Do you think so?”

“Yes,” said Minfilia, nodding. “I have heard of such things occurring. Again, though, I must warn you that it will use immense amounts of magical energy to do so.”

“I know,” said Veronyka. “It’d just be fun to do one day, don’t you think?”

“It would be wonderful to see,” said Minfilia. “Though I pray that I am never in a position that I will have to watch from the sidelines.”

“You mean like this, don’t you?” Veronyka asked. Minfilia nodded her head, eyes prickling as she remembered the terrible anxiety of the last few bells.

“In truth, I never wish to do this again,” said Minfilia. “Waiting for you to return, not knowing if you would… it was agony, Veronyka.”

“I’m sorry,” said Veronyka, nudging Minfilia’s chin with the top of her head.

“You need not apologise,” said Minfilia. “You saved the realm today, Veronyka, you and your friends. I think you deserve a little rest, and celebration once you have rested.”

“A celebration like what?” Veronyka asked, pulling away slightly to look Minfilia in the eyes.

“How does a date night at Wineport sound?” Minfilia asked. Veronyka grinned, tail swaying behind her, and nodded.

“It sounds perfect,” said Veronyka. “After I sleep for about a week.”

“I’ll make sure that you are not disturbed,” said Minfilia, her arm still snug around Veronyka’s waist.

“Good,” said Veronyka. 

Yet, even as she held her girlfriend so close to her, looking out at the smouldering ruin of the Praetorium, Minfilia could not shake the invisible time limit that had just descended over her. The clock was ticking. She did not know when Hydaelyn would take her, how long she had left in this mortal realm. But she was determined to make the most of it. And hope that the Mothercrystal would not take her from this world too soon.


End file.
